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Architecture

The architecture of the Himariot residence is in function of freedom, where each house is a tower and each village a fortress.

ARCHITECTURE

Himara’s architecture reflect a rich variety of architectural styles and is rooted in its history, culture and religion. Influences from distant social, religious and exotic communities have contributed to the variety of the architectural landscape in Himara that is richly revealed by archaeological finds that nonetheless retains a certain amount of continuity across history.

Some of the earliest productions, notably from Ancient Greeks and Romans, are found scattered throughout the country of Albania and also here in Himara. The best collection of Ancient architecture can be found in Qeparo at the Settlement of Karos, at the Castle of Himara and many other ruins scattered along the coast.

In the Middle Ages a variety of architecture styles developed in the form of dwelling, defence, worship and engineering structures. Examples of such developments are the Castle of Sopoti and the late medieval castle of Panormi built by Ali Pasha of Tepelena during his embarked on a campaign throughout Epirus.

Much earlier, the introduction of Christianity brought churches and monasteries which otherwhile became the centre of most towns and cities in the region. Byzantine churches are also on the best examples and legacies of Byzantine Empire, which are specifically exemplified in Drymades, Vuno, Himara, Kakome and Akroriza. Also, one Ottoman mosque was built during the reign of the Ottoman Empire in the region and that was in the Muslim region of Borsh. It was built on top of the ancient Castle of Sopoti.

"Stone is bound with the history of every residence in the Region of Himara!"

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THE VILLAGES

Himara's villages are generally assembled villages, comprised of different neighbourhoods. These neighbourhoods or ensembles are formed from family dwellings with kinship ties between each other. Ensembles are generally located nearby. In general, every village of the region has a center that is not defined according to certain criteria, linked to various objects, sometimes with a source water or a century-old plane tree and sometimes with a cult object like a church.

The road network of villages does not follow some certain criteria. The road crosses and transverse dwellings, paved with cobblestones. Roads usually have a kind of drainage channel in the center to prevent water from passing through the walls of the houses, which often are the border of the road. When the paths are very steep, they are built in a ladder design. The village houses are always accompanied by surrounding walls, where inside these walls are located the house, the garden and the grape vines.

TYPOLOGIES OF A DWELLING

Composed dwelling with half floor, the upper floor volume is partially ground and partly on the floor. This snout solution is directly affected by the sloping ground on which these dwellings have been erected. The lower environment has a separate entrance, which is covered by a massive 185x68x22cm large stone. The upper habitable environment seems to have been the only one and, as mentioned, partially gout in the bottom. Exactly at the bottom end of this dwelling we find a characteristic chamber near the fence side to which three more are placed asymmetrically. External stone steps lead to the entrance of this environment. The masonry of this dwelling is built of thick, coarse, drawn stones, which are excavated nearby.

THE DWELLING AND ITS YARD

Himara's dwelling always lies within a siege, which limits a certain plot, which forms the yard of the dwelling, its constituent part also in the juridical sense. The siege of the yard is generally made of stone masonry, but in the poorer families, who lived in the ground floor houses and even in huts, this encircling also faces simple wooden fence. Despite the economic circumstances the yard is still small. The cause for this phenomenon is the livestock economy which operated by keeping livestock outside the village. In the perimeter wall, the main place was certainly occupied by the entrance gate, which did not have a fixed position in relation to the dwelling.

THE FIREPLACE

The fire place is the most ancient compositional unit of the Himariot dwelling. The fireplace can be found in almost every house built on our region. The fireplace carries different functions in relation to the type of dwelling. In houses with a single living room, the fireplace carries out all the vital functions of a family, the stay, the cooking, the sleep and the reception of a friend.

By Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia, created and edited by volunteers around the world and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himariote_dialect

Plan Your Trip

How to arrive

It is easy to reach Himara and travel around the region once you arrive. By air from Tirana or Corfu airports, by ferry from Corfu, by bus or by your own car.

How to get around

Read about buses, taxis and ferry’s that tie the region together in a web of sea and land connections operated by both large and small scale operators.

Useful Informations

We have compiled useful information and good advise for your visit in the Region of Himara in our list of Frequently Asked Questions.

When to come

Summer is a season of swimming and partying , while spring is for exploration and sightseeing, read about when is the perfect time to Visit Himara.

Visit Himara

About Visit Himara

VISIT HIMARA aims to provide all the essential information that a visitor might need on their next adventure to the Region of Himara. The data has been collected from Google Maps, Wikipedia, Local Guides and Personal Experience.

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